AN application to build 45 flats on the site of a former swimming pool has been approved by councillors.

The development at the old swimming pool on Gilesgate, in Hexham, was submitted by Hexham Hotels Limited earlier this year.

The application includes six one-bedroom apartments, 36 two-bedroom apartments, two two-bedroom duplex units and one two-bedroom penthouse.

It also covers landscaping, a parking area with 46 spaces and an alteration to the public right of way between Gilesgate and Haugh Lane, creating a more direct route.

The proposal would retain the former swimming pool facade on Gilesgate, with a new four-storey building behind it, which would become seven storeys in height on the Haugh Lane side.

Councillors unanimously approved the proposal at a strategic planning committee meeting at County Hall in Morpeth on Tuesday.

Michael Axtell, project lead at Queensberry Design, said the site, which has been empty since 2008, was “an eyesore needing development to provide residential facilities in the town.”

He added: “We have received extensive support for our proposal from the local community.”